


a bargain

by atomicpleb



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Gen, consider it a writing exercise!, i dont go here but i wrote this for school in november 2019, im happy enough with it ig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22765444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomicpleb/pseuds/atomicpleb
Summary: Muzzen has regrets. Van Eck needs a favor.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	a bargain

**Author's Note:**

> I read Six of Crows for school and had to write something at the end of the unit, so here's this, I fuckin' guess.

Twelve days. Twelve arduous days had passed since Muzzen made the miserable mistake of letting himself be imprisoned in this frozen madhouse, this hell that he went into so optimistically all because _the money was good_. What good had he for money anymore? Even if Brekker made it out of the Ice Court alive - no doubt he’d make it, more like if Brekker remembered to come fetch him - would that slimy bastard really keep his promise? How well had Muzzen really known the boy? And _if_ he was recovered from Hellgate, _if_ he was paid, the firepox and prison food had weakened his muscles to the point that he could no longer be of service to the Dregs, and nobody was looking for weak workers with swollen and scarred skin on the rough, cobblestone streets of Kerch or Ketterdam. 

All he was worth now was his knowledge, and soon enough, that’d be gone, too. If Muzzle was reduced to a sack of meat in twelve days, he’d be vulture feed in no time, and there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

“Pardon, one of the prisoners was what?”

Van Eck gritted his teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Matthias Helvar, imprisoned on charges of involvement in the international slave trade network, is no longer in Hellgate’s custody.”

Pekka Rollins sat forward. “Go on.”

“Apparently, one Muzzen Rolfe has been tailored to Helvar’s appearance.” Van Eck took a sheet of paper from under his coat and slid it across the table to Rollins. “He’s been trapped unjustly in Hellgate for the past month under Brekker’s instructions, most likely unaware of the misfortune that would fall to him.”

“You’re upholding _justice_ now, are you? What happened to… what was his name again? You plan to send your son away to Groven Conservatory, but the next minute, you disown him because of an affair with a tutor, and now, you’re writing letters to him in the hopes of taking him back into your home. Your cover-ups are more incomprehensible than your tax return history, which gives me reason to believe -”

Before Rollins could finish, Van Eck brought his fist down on the desk with a bang. “My son has nothing to do with the situation at hand,” he growled. “The point is, Rolfe has information on the Dregs and most likely no remaining loyalty to Brekker.”

“And if I release him?”

“I can promise that you’ll never need to worry about the Dregs again.”

Rollins sat back in his chair, crossing his legs and examining his nails. “Really? You can make that guarantee?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Add a million  _ kruge _ and you’ll have yourself a deal.”

After a moment and a sharp exhale, Van Eck extended his hand across the desk.

Smugly, Rollins stood and shook it. “Pleasure doing business with you, as always. When I see the  _ kruge _ added to the Dime Lions’ general account, I’ll get to work jailbreaking this...” He gestured to the paper in front of him, losing focus on his sentence. 

The clock struck seven downstairs, and Rollins looked up from the sheet to count the chimes. “Seven in the evening already.” He slid the paper carefully into the top drawer of his desk before locking it and grabbing his coat. “If you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.”

Van Eck didn’t have to be told twice. Bowing swiftly, he exited without another word.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, that was that. I'm currently on hiatus on tumblr at @atomicpleb.


End file.
